Process of treating ores.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK P. ARNOLD, 0F CARBONDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, AND GEORGE F. WEDEMAN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

:enoonss or TREATING cans.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK P. ARNOLD and GEORGE F. WEDEMAN, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Carbondale, Eackawanna count Pennsylvania, and Washington, District 0 Columbia, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Ores; and

wedo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others, skilled in the art to which it appertai'ns to make and use the same.

Our invention relates primarily to the metallurgical art, has especial reference to the preliminary treatment of ores for the recovery of precious metals, such as gold,

silver, copper and the like, has for its object the elimination of sulfur, arsenic and other deleterious matter and rendering the ore subject to successful subsequent treatment by amalgamation, cyanidation or other means, for separating the values from the The invention consists in the process of treating ores which will be fully disclosed in the following specification and claims.

The prevailing practices of treating ores for desulfurizing, have included the presence of oxygen of the atmosphere to form a union of the bodies and the oxygen, which was succeeded by smelting in order to expel oxid of iron and other foreign substances.

In these ractices, it has been found that the volati e metals have escaped from the retort or furnace in which the ores have been treated, by passin ofi through the draft flues or the open cl arging end of the furnace stack and have been lost.

We have discovered that the crystalline structure common in pyrite ores when broken up, the metallic elements set free, and the sulfur, arsenic and other gases digested, driven oil or expelled, when the ore is in a finely comminuted or pulverized condition, is acted upon directly by neutralizing agents, such as suitable chemicals and a dry gas applied in a highly heated condition.

It is our purpose to exclude atmospheric air from the retort, confine the major portion of the gases and commingle them with the heated ores in the retort, and conduct the excess of gases to a suitable receptacle where they are condensed and the escape of Specification of Letters Patezit.

Application filed February 12, 1914. Serial No. 818,404.

Patented July 21, 1914.

add from one to three pounds of bicarbonate of soda, from one to three pounds of caustic;-

potash and from one to three pounds of chlorid of sodium for the purpose of neutralizing the acids contained in the ore and also separating the metals in the ore. These proportions must be varied according to the percentage of sulfids and baser metals. in the ore as will be understood by the metallurgicai chemist.

A hydrolytic monoxid gas may be generated by passing live steam through a proper receptacle, expanding the steam and drawing oil the water of condensation resulting from expansion and cooling, then superheating the dry or anhydrous steam or gas. The gas thus generated is forced by its own pressure, or by any approved means into or through the finely comminuted chemically impregnated and heated ore which is agitated 1n the absence of the oxygen of atmospheric air to further neutralize or release the base metals and gases from the ore.

The waste gases in the retort emanating from the baser metals and other foreign matter in the ore and supplied by the gas are controlled by a suitable pressure regulating device and conducted from the retort to a suitable tank or other receptacle and condensed.

The ore is heated to temperatures above 700 Fah. and the steam, highly heated and converted into gas, is supplied to the retort at about. fifteen pounds pressure and thoroughly commin ed with the ore and the chemicals descri ed, whereby the ore is digested in the presence of the major portion of the gases, and the excess of ases is arrested or collected and condensed.

The ore desulfurized and thoroughl relieved of all baser metals and minera s by the aforesaid treatment, when cooled, is in condition for separating the precious metals therein contained by amalgamation, cyanidation, or other approved means.

It is obvious that modifications in the process may be made by using other neuheated: gas,

tained in the ores, and ,of operating expenses.

tralizing agents with the ores'in the retort without departing from the spirit of our invention, so long. as "th'ehighly heated gas 3 is used in conjunction "therewith.

It is also our purpose to dissolve the alkalineand saline agents, introduce the solution in small quantities into the highly vaporize the solutions and subsequently generate or convert it into a 'gas of which all of saidingredients formcomponent parts, and then conduct the new gas into and commingle it withthe ore for the purpose of desulfurizing the ore and relieving it of other deleterious foreign matter.

7 Practical demonstration of the invention has shown, that ores treated by the described process, are thoroughly relieved of sulfids, arsenic, and other deleterious matter without los of the-precious metals conat a very low cost Having 2 thus fully described our inven, tion, whata e claim is:

1. The'process of treating ores which com- .prises expanding live steam, drawing off dry steam and passing the .the water of condensation, superheating the dry steam and passing the gas tlius formed .throughcommlnnt'ed ore impregnated with neutralizing agents, substantially such as described.

2. The process of treating ores which comprises expanding live steam, drawing off the water of condensation, superheating the gas thus formed through comminuted ore impregnated with neutralizing agents, substantially such as" described, and heating and agitating the ore.

I 3. The process of treating ores which comprises expanding live steam, drawing oil the water of condensation,superheating the dry steam and passing the gas thus formed described, heating and agitating the ore and i'arrestin'g andcondensing the excess ofgases.

4. "T-li'e process of treating ores which com-. prises expanding live steam, drawing off the water of condensation, superheating the 'dry steam and passing the gas thus .formed through ore impregnated with a neutralizing agent composed of bicarbonate of soda, caustic potash and sodium chlorid.

5. The process of treating ores which comprises expanding live steam, drawing ofl the Water of condensation, superheating the 'dry steam, and passing the gas'thus formed through ore im regnated with a neutralizing agent compose of bicarbonate of soda, caustic'potash, and sodium chlorid 'heating and agitating the ore and collecting. and condensin the excess of gases.

6. T ing, impregnating the ore with a suitable alkaline a cut, heating and agitating the .ore, supp ying highly heated anhydrous 8. The process of treatingores which comprises, heating and a 't'ating finely comsuperheated anhydrous "steam, alkaline and saline agents, and arresting and'condensing the excess of gases.

tures, in presence of two witnesses."

FRANK P. ARNOLD.

GEORGE F. WEDEMAN Witnesses:

' D.-'-'C.' REINOHL,

through comminuted ore impregnated "with W. PARKER REINOHL.

e process of treatingores comprissteam to'the ore, and digesting the ore m' of. the 'majorportion of the the ores and supplying highly neutralizing-- agents,- substantially such as minuted ores, and su jecting the ores to p In testimony whereof we aflix our signa- 

